Fire at Italian poultry farm probably started in photovoltaic system
2023Published 31 Oct 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor
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What happened
A fire broke out in a layer poultry shed in Volpago del Montello, in the province of Treviso, Italy, reported on 9 August 2023. The local fire department said the flames had probably broken out from the photovoltaic system and had burned the insulating cover of the structure, which covered more than 1,500 square metres. The smoke asphyxiated the tens of thousands of laying hens in the shed. Firefighters from Montebelluna, Castelfranco and Treviso attended with three fire trucks and 16 operators to extinguish the blaze. The cause had not been determined when the report was published. Local sources reported that more than 20,000 hens were killed by the smoke.
Contributing factors
The cause had not been determined when reported. The fire department said the flames had probably broken out from the photovoltaic system. The insulating cover of the structure burned, producing a considerable amount of smoke that killed the birds. The source does not state where the photovoltaic system was mounted.
Lessons learned
- Photovoltaic systems on agricultural buildings should be inspected regularly for electrical faults, including DC cabling, connectors and inverters, because a fault can ignite the building structure.
- Livestock sheds need smoke ventilation and fire compartmentation planning, since smoke caused the animal losses in this incident.
- Solar arrays should have clearly marked isolation points and emergency shutdown procedures, and operators should share these with farm owners and fire crews so the array can be made safe quickly.
More lessons on maintenance, inspection and ageing assets, emergency response and public communication, worker safety and safe systems of work, from every incident on the register.
Published 2026-10-31. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.
